ffaith
Re-entry. Still from the movie Gravity.
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367 days after re-entry

  • 27 September 2016
Ten years ago, a lady named Debbie asked me if I was studying Spanish because I wanted to be a missionary in South America. At the time it was a seriously long bow to draw - I in fact had no better reason for studying Spanish other than Age of Empires and the Spanish national football team. Once I started learning the language, I discovered how beautiful it was to the ear, the mind, the tongue. But even then I didn't have any particular interest in Latin American culture. I had even less interest in becoming a missionary. Debbie and I are unlikely to cross paths again, but what she said turned out to be rather prophetic.
cculture
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How South America messed me up good

  • 12 January 2016
People always ask me about my time in South America. Some are genuinely interested, while for others it's the polite and logical thing to ask. In either case, the truth is that these conversations have started to get a bit repetitive and I'm often left wishing I could say more than: that Latinos are warmer; that Andean dishes contain too many carbs; that working with survivors of child sexual abuse was hard as you'd imagine but so rewarding; that I'm not sure how to answer your question about how good my Spanish is. The worst thing is that I can't seem to do Bolivia and Ecuador justice - not in a brief conversation that could turn to a different topic at any given moment. So below are a few noteworthy things I don't generally get to share about the impact that my time in South America has had on me as a person and who I am now.
wwork
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Next stop: Sydney

  • 1 December 2015
Tomorrow will be my first day in Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, paid employment in Sydney. There is…
cculture
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Clash or conform?

  • 11 January 2012
Culture clash? Thankfully, I haven’t really experienced culture clash as such. I think having travelled before has helped…